


Crown Jewel

by yellowbutterflies



Series: F1 heist au [6]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Based on a Tumblr Post, Charles being Sebastian’s child, Daniel feels guilty, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Escape, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff, Heist AU, Hugs, I saw Lando and was like I haven’t put him through end just yet, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Multi, Nico is the villain in this, Rivalry, Rivals, Running Away, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed, once again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29265717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowbutterflies/pseuds/yellowbutterflies
Summary: Nico Rosberg wants George. They all know this, that’s why Carbon is on high alert and George is being watched 24/7 but then George escapes and he just has to bump into Nico, doesn’t he?OrAnother part of my heist au
Relationships: (next ship is in the past), Alexander Albon/Lando Norris/George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton/Sebastian Vettel, Pierre Gasly/Charles Leclerc
Series: F1 heist au [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2109519
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	Crown Jewel

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this tumblr post - [Here](https://eight-hearts.tumblr.com/post/639492987051802624/can-you-please-post-the-link-to-the-f1-heist-au)
> 
> Thanks to tumblr [@formulola](https://formulola.tumblr.com/)

George meant something to a lot of people. A lot of people valued George in their lives and some people just valued the concept of George, like Nico Rosberg for example. That man valued the concept of George, not George himself as a person. He wanted George to get back at Lewis, he didn’t care for George, he didn’t want George happy, he wanted Lewis is distress. That’s the only reason he wanted George, well that and the fact George had skills nobody had seen for years.

George didn’t know what happened between Lewis and Nico in the past and he didn’t want to ask, all he knew was that he was in danger which is why he’s followed around by at least one person 24/7 and he’s had enough. It’s Alex’s birthday tomorrow and he just wants to go out, alone, and buy him a gift. Lando’s already offered to go with him more times than George can keep track off but George honestly just wants some alone time. He loves his boyfriends, he really does, he loves them more than anything else in the world but right now they keep following him everywhere. It’s not like Lando following him around like a lost puppy, George likes that, he finds it cute, but they’re following him around with two guns in their pockets, following him around like he’s about to be assassinated. He feels like a member of the royal family who has a bounty on his head. Yes, that’s what he is. A crown jewel with a bounty on his head.

He has Daniel following him right now and honestly, he just wants to turn around and knock him out but Daniel’s been through enough this past month. Plus, he’d rather not be killed by Max. George admires their strength as a couple after everything that happened. He doesn’t think he could do that but that’s what makes them different. Daniel is humming some tune that George doesn’t recognise and it’s kind of annoying but Daniel must be bored. George has been sat staring at the same blue print for the past two hours and Daniel didn’t bring anything to do. George thinks this is because he doesn’t want to get distracted and loose track of him. George thinks he’s on strict instructions by Lewis not to get distracted. George knows for a fact Lewis has everyone on high alert. Every time some sees George, they give him a twice over, checking for injuries or signs he’s been poisoned and George hates it. He hates being treated like this. He hates being treated like someone’s going to kidnap him at every second. He hates it even though it’s possible he will be.

Why couldn’t Nico be after Mick’s head? Or even Daniel’s. Why did it have to be him? Why did he have to be the one with skills nobody has seen in years? Why did he have to be the one Lewis first saw back in 2017. Why did it have to be Lewis’ car that he stole? George couldn’t understand why all this was happening to him. He just wanted a somewhat normal life, he knew he would never get that with being a criminal but he craved the normal life he could have with his occupation and it’s definitely not a normal life when someone wants him, when someone potentially wants his head.

George sighed heavily and let his head drop onto the blueprints. He didn’t care he was being dramatic, he honestly thought he had earned the right to be dramatic right now. George just wanted this to end, he wanted Nico to back off or be killed. He wanted Lewis to stop being so goddamn dramatic because honestly there was no need for it. George could handle himself, if someone was to attack him he could attack back quite easily, at least that’s what he liked to think. George didn’t want to be big headed, he didn’t want to think about himself highly. Lando and Alex already treated him like he was a God and they were there to attend his every need. That was great sometimes, like when they were having sex but in everyday life it wasn’t. He wanted to be equal with them, not different and higher.

By the time George has finished having his crisis and he finally took his head off the blueprint, Daniel has fallen asleep. He’s done the one thing Lewis told him not to, he’s got distracted which means George can leave. It would be foolish of him to leave through the office door and expect not to get caught, he scanned the room, looking for something he could do. Then he saw the window and then he saw the rope Alex had brought in for a future mission. George doesn’t need that long to come up with a plan, his head works quickly. He checked his phone, it’s 11pm, almost Alex’s birthday. He had two texts from Lando and Alex telling him not to work for much longer because they miss him. It pains George a little that he’s about to escape and they’re going to be worried but he wants to treat Alex for his birthday. He wanted to get that treat for him alone so it’s not just a surprise for Alex but one for Lando too.

He walked over to Lando’s laptop, switching it and logging in. Lando’s password was easy to guess because it was Lando, he was predictable. George found what he needed and disabled the camera in this room. He had seen Lando do it before when things started getting steamy, none of them wanted Lewis to see that. George double checked that Daniel was asleep before slowly opening the window, he looked down which was definitely a bad idea. He was on the fourth floor of the building, George wasn’t scared of heights, he was scared of falling which sounded quite ridiculous for a guy who was planning to scale down this building, at least in his opinion anyway.

George secured the rope tightly to a hook under the window. Most windows in the building had a hook under them so people could easily escape. He found it funny that he was using what Lewis thought as intelligent against him. He threw the rope down, took one last look at Dan and climbed out. He knew there would be windows he need to avoid but most people aren’t working at 11pm. George can imagine what this must look like from the outside, he must look like an idiot. He kept his hands tightly wrapped around the rope, he knows it going to cause him rope burn but he’d rather that than a big incident. He kept his eyes up for most of the journey down, he didn’t dare to look until he knew he was almost at the bottom. George sighed a breath of relief when he realised he was safe on the floor. He stared at the rope for a moment deciding whether he should just leave or not. Then he saw Daniel poke his head out of the window, George turned around and sprinted the fastest he could. He didn’t know where he was going in particular, he just knew he was taking back alleys to get the furthest away from headquarters as he could.

He decided to stop running after about 15 minutes because his legs were beginning to ache and he could feel a stitch forming in his ribs. George found on open garage and checked before going in and putting his hands on his knees. He just needed a minute, then he would be okay and he could go get Alex’s present. George focused on his breathing until it even backed out. He was going to leave but when he turned around there was a gun pointing at his head.

“Where do you think you’re going, princess?” Nico grinned at George, he stepped forward and held the gun to his head. “If you answer with anything or then with me, I’ll shoot you.” George swallowed.

“Uhm, with you.” George looked up at the gun.

“There’s a good boy.” Nico hastily turned him around and handcuffed George. He’d been that distracted by the gun he hadn’t noticed the handcuffs. He hadn’t noticed the people behind Nico until he was turned around again. One of them handed Nico a blindfold which he tied tightly around George’s eyes and then he was shoved in a car.

He tried to map the route they were taking but he couldn’t think properly. He couldn’t remember where he had stopped and the tight blindfold was hurting his eyes. George wished he didn’t run way, he wished he just got used to being followed around. He wished he sucked it up and took it. George wished he was in bed with Alex and Lando, who were most definitely freaking out now.

——————————

Lando was annoyed, who thought it was smart to call a meeting at 8am? That’s when he slept, he shouldn’t be in a meeting, he should be in his warm comfy bed with his boyfriends.

“Alex.” The older boy looked at him. “Happy birthday, babe.” He smiled and pulled Alex in for a kiss.

“Thank you, love.”

“Did George come back last night?” Lando asked.

“Maybe he fell asleep at the desk again. Like he did not long ago.” Alex pulled Lando up to get him out of bed.

“Nooooooo, it’s sleep time.” Lando whined.

“It’s emergency meeting time which means move it.” Alex hugged him close, the both of them enjoying the warmth.

Alex eventually got Lando to get dress even if the younger one was moaning about how he wanted to go back to bed the entire time. As they walked towards the meeting room, they joined Max who was walking to the meeting too. Lando turned his attention to Max and started whining to him, the Dutch putting an arm around Lando’s shoulder to comfort him. When they entered the room something felt wrong, something felt off. Daniel was in the corner of the room, staring out of a window. He didn’t even react when Max hugged him. Lando couldn’t help but wonder if Daniel ever came to bed last night. If George didn’t, Daniel couldn’t have either. Lewis looked on edge beside Sebastian who was staring intensely at a laptop screen.

“Right, now everyone’s here.” Lewis voice sounded as if he’d been arguing all night with someone. Lando hoped it wasn’t him and Seb again, they were cute together. “Lando, Alex, i would have told you this last night but neither of you answered your phones till this morning.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Lando looked at Alex and then back towards Lewis.

“George left last night, climbed out of the window and ran. Daniel informed us almost immediately and we went after him. We lost him and then received a ransom video this morning at 5am.” Lewis spoke, his eyes kept darting around, like he couldn’t bare to look at anyone. “Rosberg has George.”

“What?” Lando stood up quickly, Alex tried to pull him into his lap but Lando stood his ground. “How did you let that happen? What happened to someone keeping an eye on him at all times?” Lando could feel the anger rising in him.

“It was my fault.” Daniel spoke from the corner, he didn’t look away from the window. Max was sat beside him. “I fucked another mission up because that’s all I’m good for. I fell asleep on the job. Once again I messed up, once again it’s all my fault.”

“Dan..” Max looked up at him.

“You know it’s true, I’m not having this conversation again.” Daniel said before leaving the room, Max followed close behind him.

“Lewis?” Alex looked towards their leader. Lewis looked back before quickly looking away. “What’s going to happen now?”

“I don’t know. We can put in a plan of action but we have no clues whatsoever. Rosberg sent a video of George tied to a chair. The background is generic, it could be anywhere. The only thing we can do is wait for him to contact us or I could-“ Lewis was cut off.

“We’ve spoken about that, you are not doing that.” Sebastian looked at him.

“This is my fault. I could have prevented this. That’s the best thing for me to do.” He argued.

“It’s not the best thing to do, we have to wait for him to come to us!” Sebastian argued back. “I’m not having you put yourself in danger.”

“George is in danger, Sebastian!” Lewis looked at him.

“Exactly, we don’t need you in danger too!”

“Just let me do it!”

“No! I’m not letting you do that.”

“Umm, guys?” Charles spoke quietly. “We’re still here.”

“I’m sorry. Alex, Lando, we are waiting for Rosberg to contact us. If you wish to view the video to look for clues, by all means please do.” Sebastian said. “Meeting dismissed.”

“I dismiss the meetings.” Lewis looked at Sebastian.

“You can dismiss the meeting when you decide to act like a leader. I’m not finishing this conversation here, we’ve already upset Charles by arguing.” Sebastian replied and then offered the door for Lewis, the two of them left.

Lando slumped back into his chair, he could feel Alex looking at him. He could feel his eyes burning in his cheek. Lando closed his eyes and held his hand out for Alex, the older one taking it and holding it tightly. Everybody else filtered out of the room, leaving the two alone to have some privacy.

“Lando, come here.” Alex whispered. Lando gave in and moved to sit on Alex, putting his head in the crook of Alex’s neck. Alex wrapped his arms around him.

“I don’t want him to get hurt..” Lando said, his eyes remained closed.

“I don’t either..” Alex squeezed him.

———————————

It must have been hours later when the blindfold was taken off, he scrunched his eyes when the bright light hit it. His eyes stung from how tight the blindfold was. He was in a dull room, the walls were grey, the floor was grey. There was a one way window on the wall he was facing, George’s handed were tied behind him and his feet tied to the chair. Nico entered through the door to his left.

“How you feeling baby?” Nico grinned at him. George didn’t reply, Nico pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at George. “You answer me the first time i ask.”

“My eyes hurt.” George said quietly.

“Thought as much, that blindfold was tight, wasn’t it?” The gun felt cold against his forehead.

“A little.”

“You learn quickly.” He put the gun away, but made sure George was still able to see it. “You have two options, A - you become my little protege and work for me, B - I’ll torture you. It’s simple, I’ll let you mull it over but if you do choose option A, I will be watching you closely so you don’t betray me.”

“Okay.”

“Why don’t we have a little catch up? You can tell me all about Lewis and his plans for you.” He grinned more, if that was even possible. George had to give it to him Nico had some nice teeth, if wasn’t evil he probably would have complimented his smile.

———————————

It was safe to say that George being kidnapped had affected the whole gang, just like when Charles was taken. Lando had watched the video of George tied up on the chair until Alex removed it from him. Lando saw Alex glance at the door, George’s desk or the window more times then he usually would. It hurt Lando that Alex didn’t talk to him about what he was feeling. Last night Alex had stayed up till 3am comforting Lando as he cried. Yesterday morning still felt like a weird fever dream, he expected George to walk through the door at any minute. Alex was hunched over something, Lando couldn’t see from where he was sat. Lando had his back to his computer so he could watch Alex.

Lando could tell there was something wrong with Alex just by the way he was sat, he just couldn’t tell what it was. His shoulder’s had a unevenness to them, instead of his feet being crossed at the ankles they were away from each other. Lando frowned to himself, he didn’t know Alex like George did. George could tell exactly what Alex was feeling by one look, Lando supposed he did that with everyone if he thought about it. Lando struggled with reading other people’s emotions unless they were clear as day, which is why he found himself struggling with figuring Alex out. He wanted to help him, he didn’t know how. Lando thought for a moment, surely it wouldn’t help to try. He rolled his chair over to Alex and hugged the older one.

“You okay?” Alex asked him after he pressed a soft kiss to his head.

“I should be asking you that. Something seems off.” He put his chin on Alex’s shoulder, Alex’s forearms were covering what he’d been working on. Almost like he’d put them there strategically to hide what he was doing from Lando and Lando didn’t like people hiding things from him.

“I’m fine, love.” He offered Lando a small smile but it didn’t seem right.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t celebrate your birthday properly yesterday.” Lando kissed his neck.

“Like I’ve said the past 100 times you’ve said that, it’s okay. When George gets back, you two can make it up to me.” Alex smiled at Lando.

“He will come back, won’t he?” Lando sighed.

“He will, Lando. He will.” Alex sighed too, it sounded like maybe he had enough of putting up his walls. Lando wanting nothing more to break them down and get to see the raw him like George did.

Sometimes Lando didn’t feel as if he was really part of their relationship. It was like George and Alex would have silent conversations with their eyes and Lando didn’t get to be apart of that. George has known Alex for two years longer then Lando had so maybe it was easier for George to figure Alex out but Lando had spent almost everyday with Alex for the past year. It had almost been a year since they did their first job for Carbon, the art gallery heist. He remembers that as if it was yesterday, the panic he felt when Alex didn’t arrive when he supposed to. The panic he got when Alex told him he was driving with a bullet in his leg. The way he had to awkwardly look away before pretending to be happy for best friends when they had their first kiss. Lando knows that if George was here right now, all he’d have to do was look at Alex and he’d breakdown to him.

“I know something is wrong, I can feel it.” Lando said quietly.

“Everything is fine, Lando.” Alex replied, his eyes drifted towards the door.

“You’re hiding something from me.” Lando gestured towards what Alex was working on.

“It’s nothing important.” Alex mumbled.

“You’re hiding what you are feeling from me, Alex. I know I’m not George but i want to help.” Lando frowned.

“I’m fine, Lando! How many times? Stop asking me!” Alex’s outburst shocked Lando, his head quickly moved away from Alex. “Lando..” Alex went to say more but Lando didn’t hear it because he left the room.

They had argued before, all three of them had argued before. All couples argue from time to time but Alex had never had an outburst like that. He was usually the calm one. Lando just let his feet walk wherever, he ended up in the comfort room. Lando would never get bored of this room, all the bean bags and blankets. He didn’t expect Max and Charles to be in there. Charles appeared to be crying to Max’s shoulder and Max didn’t look any better himself.

“Are you okay, Lando?” Max asked him. Lando shook his head, Max just moved his arm to invited Lando into the pile. “What happened?”

“Alex had an outburst at me cause I told him he’s hiding something from me, because he is.” Lando mumbled.

“Pierre had an outburst at Charles. I had an outburst at Daniel.” Max said, Lando heard a broken sob from Charles. The Monégasque had been struggling since Fernando had taken him, Lando didn’t blame him. He was fine most of the time but then sometimes he would just break. It was obviously taking it toll on Pierre and Charles.

“Guess this whole high alert thing is making us all on edge.” Lando looked up to see Sebastian at the door.

“What happened?” Lando asked.

“Me and Lewis keep arguing. He keeps trying to put himself in danger.” Sebastian went to come over to them but Charles had already made his way over to Sebastian, hugging the older man. “Here’s my chaos child. Pierre was looking for you.” Pierre’s name made Charles whimper and cry again. Sebastian moved them so they were sitting. “How are my other children?” Sebastian smiled weakly towards Lando and Max

“Daniel keeps blaming himself for everything. I had enough and shouted at him, then left.” Max shifted his feet awkwardly.

“Alex had an outburst at me.” Lando hugged Max.

“It’s going to be okay. You’ve all been through a tough time recently. Charles, you’re still dealing with The Arrows, I still think you should take some time off.” Charles just gripped Sebastian more tightly. Max, Daniel’s still struggling with the aftermath of the Casino heist. You have to remember it was only a couple weeks ago. It hurt you both, you’re still healing. Give it some time, have a talk again. Lando, you and Alex are both really close with George. You guys aren’t complete without him, you’re both feeling things and don’t know how to deal with it. Sit down and speak about it. It must have been hard to spend his birthday worrying about where George was.”

“Why do you always have to be right?” Charles grumbled.

“That’s my job. Come on, me and you are going to find Pierre.” Charles followed Sebastian out of the room.

“Maybe we should take his advice. I’ll talk to Daniel, if you talk to Alex.” Max looked at him.

“Okay.” Lando agreed.

Max gave him a hug before they departed. Lando would have liked to spend some time in the comfort room but he was worried about Alex. He was worried about George too, was he okay? Was they feeding him? Was he missing Lando and Alex as much they were? The thing Lando thought about the most though, was why did George run? He got that being followed must not have been nice, he could see it on his face it wasn’t nice but why run? Why risk your life? There must have been something more then wanting to get something for Alex’s birthday. There must have been.

When Lando entered the office, Alex had his head on the desk. It became very clear to Lando that Alex was crying. If Lando thinks back, he doesn’t think he has ever seen Alex cry and he’s known him for four years. Alex’s head shot up very quickly and when he saw it Lando, he rushed over to him, he pulled Lando into a tight hug. Alex cried into his shoulder, Lando put his arms around Alex and rubbed his back.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Alex cried.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Lando reassured him. “Are you stressed?” He felt Alex nod against his shoulder. “Maybe we should talk and you should stop working for a while.”

“Can’t. I need to find George, I need to make sure he’s okay.” Alex told him.

“Lewis is handling this. You need to take a moment to process this. Don’t do a Georgie and throw yourself straight into work.” Lando squeezed him.

“Can I at least talk to Lewis about what i was planning?” Alex asked him, he sniffled a little.

“Yeah, you can.” Lando pulled Alex closer to him, if that was possible. “Tell me what you’re feeling, Al.” Alex sighed against Lando.

“Partially guilty, George really wanted to get me something for my birthday and if I didn’t tell him what i wanted he might not have gone. I mostly feel scared.” Alex squeezed Lando closer when he tried to pull away. “I don’t want to loose him, I already almost lost you and I didn’t even know you felt the same then. I want you both here, where I can keep you safe.” Alex cried into Lando’s shoulder.

“It’s not your fault, it’s nobodies fault. We’re gonna get him back. We’ll get home back and we’ll keep him safe.” Lando didn’t know how to reassure Alex properly, that was normally George’s job but then again Alex wasn’t usually like this, it was usually Lando.

“I need something from you.”

“Anything Alex.” Lando whispered.

“I need you to stay within my arms reach at all time, okay? I’m not loosing you too.” Alex said.

“Of course, I don’t want to loose you either.” Lando didn’t know why they were both acting as if George wasn’t coming back, surely he would. Surely Lewis would find a way to get him back.

———————————

George didn’t know why he was going to choose option A, maybe it was because he would rather work for Nico then be tortured by him, maybe it was because he didn’t want to be hurt, maybe it was because it was the easier option. George hated taking the easy way out, he hated it. He didn’t feel as if he had an easy option in this situation. He either betrayed everyone he loved or he got tortured and risked being killed. Either way he’d hurt the people close to him. Either way he’d cause pain to Lando and Alex which is the last thing he ever wanted to do.

He could feel a pair of eyes burning into his forehead through the one way glass. If he had to guess, he’d guess it was Nico. George hated to admit but Nico did have nice eyes and he liked to pierce George with them. The entire time Nico made George talk he made him keep eye contact with him. It was awkward for George to sit there for an hour, talk about Lewis and keep eye contact with Nico. George figured this must be his plan to get George to choose option A, his plan to get George on his side, his plan to get George away from Lewis.

George didn’t look up when Nico entered until he made him, his fingers burning in George’s skin and it wasn’t the good type like it was when it was Lando and Alex’s fingers on him. George missed them but he didn’t like to think about them. The more he thought about them, the more angry he got, the more he wanted to rip himself from the chair, the more he was going to get himself in trouble.

“What’s your choice then?” Nico asked harshly, his eyes felt cold against George.

“A.” George answered.

“There’s a good boy. Wouldn’t want to cross me, would you?” Nico asked him.

“No.”

“It’s No, Sir, to you now I’m your boss.” Nico replied.

“No, sir.”

“Good. Suppose I can untie you now, but be warned, try anything and I’ll shoot. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” George replied, swallowing thickly.

“You really do learn quickly.” Nico replied as he cut the rope, not even bothering to undo the not, he just sliced down the middle.

Nico led George to his office, there was small desk beside Nico’s. George noticed how Nico would be able to see everything that happened at the small desk, if anybody was sat there they couldn’t avoid Nico’s peripheral vision. It didn’t take George long to figure that it was going to be him who was sat there. It was going to be like he was Nico’s little assistant who he just had to keep an eye on at all times so he couldn’t escape. Nico put his hand on the small of George’s back and pushed him towards the desk. George took the message and sat at it. There a couple of small folders, about 10 if George had to guess without counting.

“You sort them out and get them done for tomorrow. If you do it correctly, you’ll be rewarded.” Nico smiled.

“Rewarded how, sir?”

“You’ll get to meet a couple of my guys.” George couldn’t help but turn around in shock. Lewis had told him before that nobody had ever met Nico’s little gang. The only person they knew for a fact that was in Nico’s little gang was Nico. George was convinced it was just Nico until he said that. George could tell you every single member of Fernando’s gang but not a single one of Nico’s, nobody could, not even Lewis.

George did manage to do it correctly, not like the task at hand was hard anyway. It was like Nico had low expectations for him. Nico clearly hadn’t done his research if he had low expectations for him. Nico stuck to his word, he gathered all his gang members into the meeting room and then he brought George down. George was slightly nervous, for what reason he couldn’t tell. Nico opened the door and let George go in first. When George entered everything he had expected was thrown out of the window. He looked around the room, a confused expression on his face. His gang wasn’t a big one by any means, there was only nine people sat around the table and all but one were women.

“Starstruck by all the women George? Thought you had two boyfriends? Or are they disposable as soon as you find someone new?” George wanted to hit Nico, he wanted to push him down to the ground and show him what happens when you mess with Carbon, show him what happens when you talk about his boyfriends negatively. His boyfriends weren’t disposable, he would never find another Lando or Alex anywhere. Nobody could ever replace them. He had to remain calm though, he didn’t want to be killed. He needed to stay alive, he needed to think about this strategically.

His life was now one giant puzzle in the hands of Nico. One wrong move and he’d throw all the pieces away. One wrong step, one wrong breath and it will all be gone. He had to think logically,which always came naturally to George, so why was he finding it so difficult now? All he needed to do was look at himself as abundance of puzzle pieces. He just had to fit them together right with very little error. He just had to stay on the right side of Nico and if that meant going along with anything he said then George was going to have to do it. He was going to have to play Nico’s little game. He was going to have to become Nico’s pawn. He was going to have to become Nico’s most trusted friend. George had no other choice if he wanted to live, if he wanted to go back to Lando and Alex, if he wanted to ever see his boyfriends and friends again.

“Just wasn’t expecting them to be all women apart from the one who’s not, sir.” George replied, hoping the answer would suffice for Nico.

“Nobody ever does. That’s Toto by the way, the male one.” Nico pointed out and something connected in George’s brains. His brain remembering something it had long forgotten. Lewis had mentioned Toto before back at headquarters, told him the man was a lot more dangerous then he looked. George remembered Lewis telling him Toto had backstabbed him. George didn’t know of Nico and Lewis’ past but he knew it existed and he couldn’t help but wonder if the backstabbing was Toto joining forces with Nico. “Thought you’d recognise that name. Why don’t you go sit in between Jamie and Tatiana.” Nico pointed to an empty chair. George did as he was told and sat between them. The two girls offering him a simple hello but nothing more than that. George couldn’t help but feel that the hello was cold instead of friendly, maybe that was just how Nico raised his members.

George tried to pay attention during the meeting in case Nico asked him about anything. He didn’t want to ignore him and have to pay the price. Nico mostly spoke about how George had agreed to join them, had agreed to backstab Lewis. He spoke about how George would be useful, he’d be able to provide information about Carbon that they didn’t have, that they needed. George froze at that point, if he didn’t provide them with information surely Nico would lock him back up in that room until he did. He’d be locked in that room and tortured until he caved. George knew he was strong but he didn’t know if he was that strong. Nico ended the meeting with the explanation that George would be working very closely to Nico, like a mini him. He dismissed everyone leaving them alone in the room.

“Do tell me, George, what exactly is Carbon’s next place to attack?” Nico asked.

“I don’t whether they’ll still be doing this with me gone.” Nico laughed at that and gave him a look that screamed ‘as if they actually care about you.’ “But they’re planning to take out the small gang that’s rising in the east of the city next week, sir.” George couldn’t lie, he couldn’t make something up. Maybe if Nico interfered with this they could find a way to him, find a way to help him.

“Well, guess we best start planning but you won’t be attending the mission. You’ll stay here with Toto.” Nico grinned before grabbing some paper.

—————————

Lewis watched on as Carlos, Valtteri, Lance and Antonio geared up. He watched as they grabbed their tools and guns.

“I know none of you want to go on a mission while someone’s being held for ransom, but business has to continue as normal like it did when Charles was taken. Any clues, anything that might suggest George or Nico i want to know, okay?” Lewis said.

“Yes, boss.” They all replied.

“Alright, off you go.”

Lewis returned to his office where Sebastian was at his own computer, typing away. They hadn’t really spoken much, it was just arguments about George but no matter how loud or angry they got they would always cuddle up together at night. Sebastian would always hold Lewis close while he cried about George. Lewis had done the same when Charles went missing expect Sebastian didn’t cry, he never really does. That’s just him. Lewis came behind him and hugged him, Sebastian made a sound of surprise before putting his hand on Lewis’ arms.

“I love you, Seb, you know that don’t you? No matter how much we argue or fight i still love you.” Lewis told him.

“I know and I love you too no matter what.” Sebastian replied, his fingers stopped their frantic typing against the keyboard so he could enjoy the warmth his boyfriend brought.

“You know I’ll never hurt you or betray you, i won’t go behind your back or anything like that.”

“This is about Rosberg isn’t it?” Sebastian questioned.

“I don’t want to talk about it, please. I just want to remind you what happened between me and him, will never ever happen between us.” Lewis whispered into his hair.

“I know. I wouldn’t let it happen either because I love you and I never want to let you go.” Sebastian turned around in his chair so he could hold Lewis against him.

“Boss?” Valtteri came over the radio.

“Here.” Lewis replied, his arms still around Sebastian, he sat down on him.

“It’s empty.” Valtteri replied. “And Rosberg left a message.”

“Saying what?”

“Looks like you’re little protege is useful.”

“Wait.” Lewis paused a second and chewed on his lip as he thought. “That means George told him on what we were planning.”

“So he’s backstabbing us?” Valtteri asked hesitantly.

“No, at least I don’t think so. He’s sending them where we are going. George knows we are planning to clear that warehouse in a month. What if leads them there? Wait, don’t answer that. I’ll sort a meeting for tomorrow. I need to tell Lando and Alex, make your way back.” Lewis instructed them.

When Lewis told them his plan Alex held Lando close him, letting the younger one bury his head into Alex’s chest. They had to plan to potentially get George back. There was a high chance George might not be with them but they’d be able to come face to face with Nico, they’d be able to show him exactly what George meant to them. They could get George back, no matter what happens they will get him back. Alex kept repeating that to Lando whether it was to comfort it or remind Alex that they will get him back, he doesn’t know but he holds on to it. He keeps that thought in the front of his brain, where it’s clear and prominent. He holds on to it, protecting it like a crown, like a jewel, like a crown Jewel because that’s what George is to them. A Crown Jewel.

———————————

George knew his head wasn’t acting properly and he knew this because it had taken him a week to remember that towards the end of April, Carbon are planning to clean out a warehouse. He laid awake that night, staring at the ceiling. He was aware he was being watched by someone through the camera. It was most likely Susie, Toto’s wife. He knew she would tell Nico but he didn’t care because he would tell him himself. He just wish his brain would remember the date. George groaned and pulled the covers of his head.

It didn’t feel right being in bed alone, it didn’t feel right being in bed without Alex or Lando. Was Alex able to handle Lando’s nightmares alone? They had never handled them alone, they were always together. All three of them. George couldn’t help but wonder if Lando’s nightmares had got worse since he got kidnapped. Could he call it that if he went somewhat willingly?

George listened to the gentle noise of the clock as tried to remember the date. He knew it was in April, he knew it was. It wasn’t at the beginning he knew that. It was during the end of the the month but what date? Knowing it was at the end of the month wasn’t useful, he needed to know the date. The date. He needed it. He needed it. He needed it. George calmed himself, he was getting far to angry and frustrated at himself. He needed to take a minute before thinking about it again, he needed to look at it from a calm perspective.

Once he felt the anger leave his body, he let his mind think again. He let his brain wonder, George let himself think. April. April. April. George shot up in his bed suddenly, April the 21st that was it. He knows that date. When he first met Romain, he had told George he had first joined Carbon as a junior on the 21st of April 2006. It was just a coincidence Lewis had scheduled the mission of that day. It just fit in the timetable but the date had stuck more the usual in George’s head because of it’s connection with another memory George had stored.

George told Nico about in the morning. For the past week he had showed nothing but devotion to Nico, trying to prove to him that he could be trusted. George had done everything Nico had asked perfectly and faster than he asked too. He made sure Nico knew by asking him more then once when it was to be done by. He spent the weeks leading up to the 21st doing everything he possibly could for Nico, offering to do simple tasks let getting him a coffee or supplying him with ideas during meetings. George knew his brain worked differently to everyone else, he knew he worked differently to everyone else. He knew his ideas blew everyone out of the water in Nico’s gang. They were better than George originally though but he was far better than them. Nico appreciated George’s ideas but he always choose everyone else’s first before realising that George’s ideas were the smartest, safest and better option.

—————————

The morning of the 21st, Lewis approached Lando and Alex. He sat them down and explained how they needed to stay with Checo back at base. Lewis told them how he thought it was safer for all three of them if they remained here, he also reassured them they would be able to here all radios. Lando didn’t want to stay, he wanted to be there, he wanted to George. As did Alex but Alex explained to him they needed to keep George safe and they were there, they wouldn’t be able to do that.

Once Lewis geared himself up with armour and his guns, he found Sebastian. The German immediately pulled him into a hug, he placed a kissed on his head. Lewis always enjoyed the warmth Sebastian radiated, he always enjoyed Sebastian’s company.

“It’s going to be okay.” Sebastian reassured him. “If you need me to talk I will.”

“No, I have to do this Seb.” Sebastian squeezed him before letting him go. Lewis knew this meant it was time to leave.

Sebastian drove them, Lewis didn’t feel as if he could. He was about to face Nico and hopefully get George back. When they arrived, Lewis spotted some cars that weren’t well hidden. He knew they weren’t Carbons which meant someone was here. Whether it was Nico or not he didn’t know. They all entered together, from different points in case someone ambushed them. When Lewis entered, Nico was stood in the middle with two guns held firmly in his hands. Lewis wasn’t stupid though, he knew there was others. The snipers red lights were aimed at them. Lewis couldn’t see the actual people though, they were well hidden. He could make out some ski masks but that was about it. He couldn’t see any traces of George though.

“Hello, old friend.” Nico smiled at him, Lewis stood ahead of the Carbon members. He didn’t know why, he couldn’t protect them all.

“Where’s George?” Lewis gritted his teeth.

“Thought he’d be here? Well so did he. I soon caught on to your little proteges plan. He knew you were coming and told me the wrong time. I only figured it out after he started doing things faster and better. He was trying to prove to me I could trust him. Now, he’s tied to a chair with out dear old Toto watching him.” Lewis gritted his teeth harder when Nico mentioned Toto.

“What do you want with him? What exactly is he going to do for you? He’s no use to you.” Lewis replied.

“Ahh, but he is. He lead us to you. I wouldn’t be talking to you now if he wasn’t for him, no?”

“No.”

“Exactly.” Nico stepped forward into Lewis’ personal space. “Shame you still think I’m a simple man.”

“Step away from him.” Sebastian came closer to him.

“Aww, thought you were suppose to be the leader Lewis. Why do you need your little boyfriend to protect you?” Nico asked, scoffing at Sebastian.

“I don’t need him to do that. He’s doing it because he loves me.” Lewis replied.

“Oh and you would know all about loving someone, wouldn’t you Lewis?” Sebastian saw how Lewis tensed. There was clearly something Nico knew that nobody else did.

“As would you. Wouldn’t you? You can’t say that about me without it involving you. You were there too.” Lewis replied, everyone seemed confused other than the two men in the middle.

“Ahh, smarter then I remember Lewis.”

George couldn’t figure out why people always fell asleep while watching him. Was he really that boring? He watched as Toto snoozed quietly in the corner of the room, the keys to the door hanging from his belt loop. George looked back at his tied hands the best he could before deciding how he would try to undo them. It took him a few minutes and few different attempts but he managed to get one hand out, meaning he could untie the other before untying his feet. He quietly walked over to Toto and did his best to grab the keys. Toto grabbed his wrist as soon as George had the keys. The Brit thought fast and sent a punch straight into Toto’s head, knocking the man out.

He rushed over to the door and fiddle with the keys before one fitted, he took the keys out and ran. He ran as fast as he could to the main exit and unlocked it. George left the keys in the door, not caring if someone got it. This wasn’t his headquarters. George ran, he ran as fast as could. He ran like the day he did when he escaped from Carbon. He didn’t stop until he reached headquarters even though a stitch starting forming and his nose started bleeding. George figured he must have ran too fast with the blood coming from his nose.

Back at headquarters, Lando was crying softly into Alex’s shoulder, Checo watching them. Lando had really worked himself up, he was convinced they would be getting George back today. As was Alex. They both thought Nico was too stupid to realise how smart George was. Lando’s crying was interrupted when a loud crash came from down the corridor. Checo, Lando and Alex all stared at the door in confusion. They didn’t think anybody stayed behind. Checo went out to check, instructing Lando and Alex to stay. Lando wasn’t expecting Checo to come back with George gripping onto him with a bloody nose.

“George?” Alex was the first to break the silence.

Back at the warehouse, all of them were connected back to headquarters radio. Alex must have accidentally pressed a button during the confusion. Every member of Carbon had a confused look on their face when they heard Alex say George. Lewis tried to keep a poker face but it proved to hard when he couldn’t figure out what was going.

“Excuse me?” Lewis heard Max whispered quietly into the earpiece.

“George is here.” Lando replied when he saw the radio was on. He didn’t sound sure, he sounded like he thought he was dreaming and honestly he thought he was.

“Seems like you aren’t that smart.” Lewis stared at Nico.

“What are you talking about?” Nico looked confused, then Lewis heard a muffled voice come from the ear piece Nico had in.

“This isn’t over.” Nico went to walk away but Lewis grabbed his wrist, all snipers turned to him.

“It can be, Nico. We both want to take down Fernando, don’t we? We could that if we worked together and put everything between us in the past.” Nico removed Lewis’ hand from him.

“Never will I work with you or put everything between us in the past. Crew lets go.” Nico walked out. Lewis didn’t instruct them to shoot anyone. He didn’t see a point.

“Let’s go back.” Lewis told them all.

Back at headquarters, Lando and Alex found it hard to believe George was stood in front of them. Checo let go off George but stayed close in case anything happened. The three of them just stared at each other before Lando moved. He wrapped his arms straight around George and sobbed into his chest. He let everything he had been holding back out. Alex shortly joined them, wrapping his arms around Lando and George. George put his arms around them too, Lando being trapped in the middle. By the time Lewis and the gang came back the three of them were all crying. George pulled back to look at Lewis, his boss hugging him tightly.

“I’m so sorry, George.” Lewis told him.

“It wasn’t your fault, I ran and I’m sorry for doing that.” George looked over to Daniel who was awkwardly stood in the door. “It wasn’t your fault either Daniel. Don’t blame yourself, please. This was completely my fault. I should have stayed. I should have understood this was the safest place for me.” George told them.

——————————————

George smiled when Lando jumped on top of him, giggling. Three days had passed since he returned. Lewis gave them two weeks off, George was very thankful for that. George was still on high alert but Lewis agreed to give him a little more freedom and instead of being watched closely he’d be watched from far back. It wasn’t long before Alex ran into the bedroom, laughing too. Lando pulled the duvet over him and George, trying to hid himself from Alex, not that it was a good hiding space when Alex had already seen them. Alex crawled into bed with them and started tickling Lando’s sides.

“What did he do?” George asked over Lando’s laughter.

“Rubbed toothpaste all over my cheek, the cheek on him.” Alex smiled as he tickled Lando.

“You’re so evil.” Lando laughed as Alex stopped. George smiled at them before kissing each of them.

He was happy to back, happy to back with Alex and Lando. His mind couldn’t help but wonder, what if Nico tried to kidnap him again? What if he was taken again? What if Nico took someone else? He didn’t want to think about it, he wanted to enjoy the company his boyfriends gave him but he couldn’t help it.

“Stop thinking, Georgie.” Lando curled up to him. “Let me tell you a story about the simple, stupid boy who miserably failed an easy hack. Yes, I’m talking about Charles and yes, this story is hilarious.” George laughed as Lando started his story.

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is [@landonorrisgeorgerussell](https://landonorrisgeorgerussell.tumblr.com/) If anyone wants to say hello or has any request :)


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